Dispensing closure



Nov. 25, 1952 1". MCDONALD 2,519,266

' DiSPENSING CLOSURE Filed Feb. 17, 1949 l9 'INVENTOR.

fixzae MmePH MCDONFAD BY QM Patented Nov. 25, 1952 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE DISPENSING CLOSURE Application February 17, 1949, Serial No. 76,915

3 Claims. 1

i This invention relates to closures for containers of the type adapted to hold semi-liquid or paste materials, such as shaving cream, tooth paste and the like, and has more particular reference to that type of closure which permits dispensing the contents of the container without removing the closure.

One object of the present invention is to provide a novel and improved dispensing closure for containers adapted to hold semi-liquid or paste materials.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a dispensing closure as characterized above, having a single movable element which may be easily and quickly moved into opened or closed position, which will, in closed position. prevent the entrance of air into the container, and which, when in open position, will permit the contents to be expelled from the container easily and in a convenient manner.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a dispensing closure as characterized above, which is adapted to be detachably mounted on the neck of any conventional collapsible tube in lieu of the original closure for the tube.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a closure as characterized above, including an inner cap member having a plurality of outlet orifices therein and adapted to be detachably mounted on the dispensing neck of a container, and an outer cap member rotatably mounted on the inner cap member and having a central outlet orifice with alternating lands and grooves radiating outwardly therefrom so that when rotated in one direction the lands will close the orifices in the inner cap member and when rotated in the opposite direction the grooves will be positioned over the orifices to permit the contents of the tube to be extruded therethrough.

A further object of the invention is to provide a closure member as above characterized, including spring tensioning means for holding the two cap members tightly pressed together when the lands are over the orifices in the inner cap member, thereby tightly sealing the orifices and preventing unintentional rotation of the outer cap member to uncover the orifices.

A further and more specific object of the invention is to provide a collapsible tube for shaving creme, tooth paste, and the like, having a closed neck provided with a plurality of orifices and a cap member having a central orifice with alternating lands and grooves radiating outwardly therefrom, rotatably mounted on the neck of the tube so that when rotated in one direction 2 the lands of the cap will close the orifices in the neck and when rotated in the other direction the grooves will be positioned over the orifices to permit the contents of the tube to be extruded therethrough.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent in the following specification when considered with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Fig. 1 is an elevational view with parts broken away, of a collapsible tube having a dispensing closure member constructed in accordance with the present invention mounted thereon;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged vertical sectional view of the closure member shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the closure member shown in Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a perspective exploded view showing the relationship of the two parts of the closure member; and

Fig. 5 is an elevational view, partly in vertical cross section, and with parts broken away, showing a modified form of tube and closure member.

The present invention provides a novel and improved closure member for containers, adapted to hold semi-liquid or paste material, which permits the contents of the container to be extruded therefrom without removal of the closure member.

In general, the closure member is formed in two parts, an inner cap member and an outer cap member rotatably mounted thereon for movement from a closed to an open position and vice versa. The inner cap member may be made as an integral part of the container or as a separate member adapted to be detachably secured to the open end of the container.

For purposes of illustration, the closure member of the invention has been shown as employed with a container of the collapsible tube type ordinarily used to contain shaving creme, tooth paste and the like.

Referring now to the drawings, there is shown in Figs. 1 to 4 inclusive, a preferred form of a dispensing closure member constructed in accordance with the present invention and comprising an inner cap member 10 and an outer cap member I I. As shown, the inner cap member I0 is a hollow cylindrical member having its upper end closed by an integral top wall I2. The lower portion of the internal wall of the cap member is threaded, as indicated at l3, by means of which the cap member is detachably mounted on the externally threaded neck 14 of a conventional collapsible tube l5, as shown in Fig. 1. The

upper portion of the internal wall of the cap member flares outwardly and upwardly, as indicated at IS. The inner cap member is provided with an external circumferential groove l1, adjacent its upper end, and a horizontally aligned and spaced pair of outwardly projecting lugs l8, l9 positioned slightly below the groove H. The upper surface of the top wall of the cap member is fiat, except for a centrally positioned conically shaped projection 20 and a plurality of slightly raised bosses 2|, having central vertical bores 22 communicating with the hollow interior of the cap member and forming outlet orifices. In the particular embodiment illustrated, four such bosses are shown, each spaced inwardly of the outer edge of the top wall and at equal distances from the center of the top wall on radii. 90 apart. The tops of the bosses are flat and spaced an extremely small distance above the upper surface of the top wall of the cap member. The side walls of the bosses arebevelled, as indicated at 23, for a purpose hereinafter to be described.

The outer cap member I I is a hollow cylinder member having its upper end closed by an integral top wall 24 and having its depending annular wall 25 provided with an integral inwardly projecting flange 2'5 at its lower end. When the outer cap member H is mounted on the inner cap member H] the flange 26 is received in the groove I! on the inner cap member with the inner surface of the annular wall 25 of the outer cap member engaging the external surface of the annular wall of the inner cap member above the groove H.

The top wall 24 of the outer cap member is provided with a centrally positioned circular opening 21 and its fiat bottom or under surface is cut away to provide a plurality of flat-bottomed circumferentially spaced radially extending channels or grooves 28. The surfaces between the grooves form lands 29. In the particular embodiment illustrated, four such channels are shown extending radially from the opening 27 on radii 90 apart. Each of the channels is generally trapezoidal in outline with outwardly diverging side walls. The inner ends of the channels open into the opening 2! and the outer ends terminate inwardly of the outer edge of the top wall 24. The side walls of the channels are bevelled, as indicated at 39, for a purpose hereinafter to be described. The widths of the chain nels and the lands are considerably larger than the diameters of the bosses 2! so that when the cap member II is mounted on the cap member ID, the bosses 2| may be received in the channels 28 with the bosses positioned slightly inwardly of the outer ends of the channels (see Fig. 3). In this position, the under surface of the top wall 24 of the outer cap member engages the upper surface of the top wall of the inner cap member with each boss 2! received in a channel 28.

The depending annular wall 25 and its integral flange 26 are provided with four circumferentially spaced upwardly extending slots SI and the inner wall of the flange 26 is cut away, as indicated at 32, to form a cam surface, all to facilitate the outer cap member being snapped onto the inner cap member. The side wall 25 of the outer cap member is also provided with an integral depending lug 33 adapted to extend downwardly between the pair of lugs l8, I9 formed on the external surface of the side wall of the inner cap member.

The positioning of the bosses 2i relative to the lugs l8, I!) on the inner cap member; the positioning of the channels 28 and lands 29 in the under surface of the top wall of the outer cap member relative to the depending lug 33; and the positioning of the lug 33 relative to the lugs l8, 19, are such that when the outer cap member is mounted on the inner cap member with the flange 26 received in the groove [1 and the depending lug 33 engaging the lug 19, each of the bosses 2| will be centrally located within a channel 28 and the under surface of the top wall 24 of the outer cap member will be engaging, the upper surface of the top wall of the inner cap member; and when the outer cap member is rotated clockwise to bring the lands between the channels 28 over the bosses 2|, the depending lug 33 will be moved to engage the stop lug I8. As the outer cap member is rotated clockwise, the bevelled edges of the channels will engage the bevelled edges of the bosses 2i and, as the outer cap member is further rotated, the lands will ride up on the bosses, flex the top walls of the two cap members slightly, due to the bosses being raised slightly above the upper surface of the top wall of the inner cap member, thereby placing the two walls under spring tension. This spring tension will hold the lands pressed tightly against the tops of the bosses to eifectively seal the bores or orifices therein and, in addition, will tend to prevent unintentional rotation of the outer cap member to uncover the bores in the bosses.

When the outer cap member is mounted on the inner cap member, the conically shaped projection 26 on the top wall of the inner cap member will be received in the circular opening 21 in the top wall of the outer cap member, as shown in Fig. 3. The base diameter of the projection 20 is less than the diameter of the circular opening 21', so that the side walls of the projection will be spaced from the edge of the opening to provide an even, free flow of the extruded material from the channels 23 out through the circular opening The height of the conical projection is such that it does not project beyond the upper surface of the top wall of the outer cap member.

In Fig. 5, there is shown a modified form of a dispensing closure member, in which the inner cap member is formed integral with the container. As there illustrated, the closure member is shown as used with a collapsible tube IS, with the inner cap member Iii formed integral with the tube and forming the neck thereof and with the outer cap member ll rotatably mounted on the inner cap in a manner identical to that shown in the first modification illustrated and described. In this second modification, the outer cap member 5 l is identical in construction to the outer cap member of the first modification and the inner cap member I3 is identical in construction to the inner cap member of the first modification except that it is formed integral with the tube l5, with the annular side wall of the cap forming the dispensing neck I4 of the tube.

From the foregoing, it readily will be seen that there has been provided a novel. and improved dispensing closure member for containers and the like, adapted to hold semi-liquid or paste material, which is practical and economical in construction and eflicient in use, and one which is particularly adapted for use with collapsible tubes and the like, either as a detachable closure member-or as an integral part of the tube.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is:

1. A container having an integral annular neck portion provided with a circumferential groove and having a round fiat top, said fiat top having a plurality of orifices formed therein, a hollow cap member rotatably mounted on said neck portion and having a round flat top provided with a central opening and an annular depending side Wall, the top Wall of said cap member having a fiat undersurface provided with a plurality of alternate lands and grooves extending radially from said central opening with said grooves terminating short of the peripheral edge thereof, said annular depending side wall of said cap member having an integral inwardly projecting flange around its bottom edge snap fitted into the groove formed in said neck portion to hold the undersurface of said lands against the upper surface of the flat top of the neck portion, said lands and said grooves in the undersurface of the cap member being of such widths and being so positioned relative to said orifices that partial rotation of said cap member in one direction will position said grooves over said orifices to permit the contents of the container to be extruded through said orifices, said grooves, and out said central opening, and partial rotation in the opposite direction will position said lands over said orifices to thereby seal oil and prevent any discharge of the containers contents, and cooperating stop means carried by said cap member and said neck portion for limiting the rotation of said cap member in both directions.

2. A container as set forth in claim 1, wherein the top wall of said neck portion has a conically shaped projection formed thereon and positioned to be received within said central opening formed in the top wall of said cap member, with the side walls of said projection spaced from the edges of said opening to provide an even, free flow of the extruded material between the side walls of the projection and said opening.

3. A container having an integral annular neck portion provided with an external circumferential groove and having a round fiat top, said top having a plurality of bosses formed thereon and projecting slightly above the flat surface thereof,

each of said bosses having a central vertical bore communicating with the interior of said neck portion, a hollow cap member rotatably mounted on said neck portion and having a round fiat top provided with a central opening and an annular depending side wall, the top wall of said cap member having a flat undersurface provided with a plurality of alternate lands and grooves extending radially from said central opening with said rooves terminating short of the peripheral edge thereof, said annular depending side wall of said cap member having an integral inwardly projecting flange around its bottom edge snap fitted into the groove formed in said neck portion to hold the undersurface of said lands against the upper surface of the flat top of the neck portion, said lands and said grooves being of such widths and being so positioned relative to said bosses that partial rotation of said cap member in one direction will position the grooves over the bosses to permit the contents of the tubes to be extruded through the bores in said bosses, said grooves and out said central opening, and partial rotation in the opposite direction will position said lands over said slightly raised bosses whereby said cap member will be placed under spring tension with the lands tightly pressed against the tops of the bosses to seal said bores and prevent unintentional rotation of the cap member to uncover said bores; and cooperating stop members carried by said neck portion and said cap member to limit rotation of said cap member in both directions.

TAYLOR M. MCDONALD.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 928,793 Perkins July 20, 1909 1,615,127 McNaughton Jan. 18, 1927 1,637,548 Burbank Aug. 2, 1927 1,795,737 Rundell Mar. 10, 1931 1,908,113 Burke May 9, 1933 1,956,764 Johnston May 1, 1934 1,996,493 Schumacher Apr. 2, 1935- 2,049,795 Barnby Aug. 4, 1936 

